


Swimmers and Smart-Asses

by strangerships



Series: Grow As We Go: The Percabeth Collection [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: AHS swim team - Freeform, Annabeth is a tad petty and we love it, F/M, Fluff, Percabeth Week, Swim Team, Swimming, percabeth, pregnant Sally
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:53:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24866365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strangerships/pseuds/strangerships
Summary: Annabeth hadn’t planned on humiliating her boyfriend in front of all his friends, but after the stunt he’d pulled, she had to remind him who he was dating.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Paul Blofis/Sally Jackson
Series: Grow As We Go: The Percabeth Collection [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1800121
Comments: 14
Kudos: 267





	Swimmers and Smart-Asses

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I'm really excited about this one. I absolutely hate dialogue, but this one actually has a decent amount of dialogue to it. Plus, I just really missed Percabeth and I'm happy I got to write my own little glimpse of their life around the beginning of TOA. For the life of me, I can't figure out what the A in AHS Swim Team stands for. It can't be Goode, but I don't know what else it could be, so I just made up a High School name that starts with A. Let me know if you know what it should be. Anyways, I'm really proud of this one-shot and I hope you enjoy! Let the PJO renaissance begin.

Annabeth hadn’t planned on humiliating her boyfriend in front of all his friends, but after the stunt he’d pulled, she had to remind him who he was dating.

The day had started off with Annabeth in a completely different mindset. If anything, she was a bit nervous about seeing Percy’s mortal friends for the first time. Percy really liked his new school and the monster attacks had been so minimal, he’d often told Annabeth that he felt like a normal teenager there. Annabeth didn’t need to see the look in his eyes to know how much that meant to him. She was so happy for him when he got on the swim team, not that it had been hard. Still, she couldn’t get enough of how giddy he was for her to come to one of his swim meets and meet all his friends. She also didn’t mind the pride he seemed to have in introducing her to literally anyone he knew. He was quite possibly the sweetest guy alive.

So she was in great spirits, walking into Acton High School with Paul Blofis and a newly pregnant Sally Jackson. Sally was filling her in on all the ‘hot gos’ regarding the season thus far.

“So Jack has been the star this year, but the other moms have told me that the way he’s been slacking off, he’s just barely hanging on to the top spot, and don’t even get me started on Chad, his mom is always _so_ smug about him beating Percy in the first two meets because he’s a sophomore, but little does she know…”

You’d think, with it being just the third meet in the season, that there wouldn’t be so much to talk about, but Sally had taken her new role as Swim Team Mom _very_ seriously. Honestly, Annabeth thought that Sally relished in this part of Percy’s life that was normal and being able to be a normal mom herself. Annabeth felt bad that she was so far behind on this part of Percy’s life. After he made the team, she got really busy studying for the SATs (which she had a sneaking suspicion Percy might not be doing). She hadn’t meant to go MIA for a few weeks, but she often got like that when she was hyper-focused on a goal. And going to college in New Rome with Percy, free of monsters and prophecies, THAT was worth getting into hyper-focus.

They walked into the pool area and scanned the bleachers for seats. The smell of Chlorine hit her like a wall as soon as she stepped through the door. Chlorine used to make her gag, but funnily enough, she’d started to think of Percy whenever she smelled it, and she inexplicably got a fluttery feeling in her stomach. They chose seats at the very front, off to the side, so they could see everything (and so Sally could make a swift exit if necessary, chlorine smell did not agree with her, being pregnant and all, even though she tried to hide it). Not to mention, Paul wanted to veto anything that involved Sally having to do more than walk in a straight line.

As Annabeth got settled in the bleachers, she began to get unusually nervous. She didn’t understand why considering that this swim meet hardly ranked on the endless list of things Annabeth had a right to be nervous about over the last few years. She just wanted everything to go smoothly for Percy. A clean meet, no monster attacks. With her being here, no doubt the stench was stronger than normal. But more than that, she wanted to be a good girlfriend. She felt guilty for being MIA and she realized as she scanned the crowd that there were much better ‘swim team girlfriends’ in the stands around her. Girls that were clearly girlfriends of guys on the team were wearing their letterman jackets. They had made beautifully painted, elaborate signs. Heck, some of them were scouting the crowd, selling chocolate bars, and fundraising for overnight meets. Annabeth was not one to focus on being the picture of premature domesticity, but she could’ve at least brought sign, she thought to herself.

After an only slightly excruciating amount of waiting for the announcer to figure out how to use his equipment, the meet got underway and the swimmers came out from the locker rooms.

Annabeth made three very astute observations as she finally landed eyes on Percy.

One: She’d never seen her boyfriend in a speedo. And yeah, it’s not a huge deal. She’d certainly seen him in swimsuit trunks, albeit horribly corny ones with first-rate dad jokes as patterns, but she supposed that still technically counted as swimwear. Maybe it was just that _everything_ was on full display. She’d also been so distant lately she hadn’t yet had the opportunity to process what all this extra training on the team had done for his abs…and his arms, and his jawline. Gods, she thought, _why am I acting like I’ve never seen my own boyfriend?_

Two: There was an entire section of girls in the bleachers dedicated to ogling the hottest swimmers so intensely it would have made Apollo blush.

Three: Half the girls there had signs for Percy.

Annabeth wasn’t the jealous type. Okay, _post_ -Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Annabeth wasn’t the jealous type. She knew firsthand that her boyfriend was the most loyal guy out there and that they shared a bond that had literally survived Hell. That didn’t stop her from wishing she could take her dagger and rip those signs in several tiny pieces. This was a swim meet, not a beauty pageant. This was an arena of athletic prowess, a temple of friendly competition…Yeah, even she didn’t believe herself.

Just as Annabeth was in the midst of her teeny tiny jealous spiral, she caught Percy’s eye. He gave her that effortless, lopsided smile of his and she immediately snapped out of it. She rolled her eyes even as she blushed and she started whooping and cheering along with Paul and Sally and the rest of the crowd.

Percy didn’t even seem to register the hoard of girls giggling and whispering as he settled with his teammates. Leave it to Percy not to notice the obvious. Annabeth felt better though, she felt relieved whenever Percy was around, especially when there was absolutely no reason to be up in arms. She tried her best to keep herself focused on the competition in front of her. She noted the scores and the names of all the major players on Percy’s team as well as HHS, their longtime rival. She had done just a few hours of research to prepare, she wanted to be able to discuss the match at length with Percy afterward. Even so, Annabeth couldn’t help but glance over at Percy and his teammates as they huddled together and joked around. It made Annabeth want to burst, seeing Percy so carefree and happy there.

Finally, it came to be Percy’s heat. As he lined up at the edge of the pool, he gave her a small wave. The referee teed them up, and right before he kicked off, Percy looked Annabeth dead in the eye and gave her the suavest wink.

She and Percy had spent countless hours devising a method for him to use to seem like a ‘normal swimmer’ in the pool. There were a lot of rules: No manipulating the water, He had to at least pretend to come up for air, he had to will himself not to stay dry, and he had to pretend like the swim had tired him out and not invigorated him. Oh, and he couldn’t win. Second or third sure, but win every heat, and people will start paying a lot more attention to the star swimmer.

He followed every rule to a tee except one: the no-placing-first rule. He one by fairly slim margins by Annabeth’s calculations and general understanding of the sport, but her mouth still hung open. How could he break one of the rules? Didn’t he like the swim team? Why would he jeopardize his position like this? Sally and Paul seemed rather flabbergasted as well, though they did their best to hide it and act normal. By the last heat, Sally had even embraced it, clutching Paul’s arm and saying, “If he puts Chad down to third, I’ll never let Karen forget it!”

Percy did indeed flame Chad. And Jack, and everyone else at that damn meet. He was in the middle of swimming his final heat, securing the win for AHS. They’d all but won already, but Percy swam with all his heart (and more subtly, with all of his powers). He climbed out of the pool easily a few seconds before his opponents and the whole place erupted with cheers. The guys on the team were running and jumping and generally doing all the things you shouldn’t do near a pool. The girls in the bleachers were beside themselves with adoration (on second thought, Annabeth wished she’d brought a sign detailing how Percy drools in his sleep).

Percy, on the other hand, practically leaped out of the pool and made a beeline for Annabeth. She raised her eyebrows mid-cheer, hoping to convey _‘what do you think you’re doing’_ when Percy’s smile got even bigger. She should’ve taken better note of the mischievous glint in his eyes as he opened his arms towards her. She was so excited she didn’t even think twice before launching into his embrace and he wrapped his arms her, lifting her into the air.

Now, it’s important to note that Annabeth had hugged, kissed, or otherwise gotten all up in Percy’s grill after he’d been in the water all. the. time. He’s the son of the sea god, what do you expect? Except all those other times, he’d willed himself not to get wet because duh. So no, Annabeth was not completely dumb when she willingly let her dripping wet boyfriend hug her, she just wasn’t thinking about the crowd of mortals surrounding them. Almost as soon as she felt his warmth seep through her and the smell of chlorine flood her senses even more, she felt like she’d been the victim of a dunk tank.

“Ugh! Seaweed Brain!” She tried to squirm out of his arms, but he just started cackling and hugged her even tighter, like he was trying to use her as a human Shamwow. His laughter was infectious as it reverberated from his chest into hers, like the bass of the radio when you turn it up way too loud on the highway. She had an overwhelming urge to crack up with him and her mouth twitched upwards after the initial shock wore off, but she was also thoroughly red and embarrassed the more seconds ticked by. Percy peppered her with kisses across her cheek till he got to her ear and whispered., “Got to keep up appearances you know, wouldn’t want to break the rules”. Simultaneously, he wrapped her up in a fluffy blue towel that Annabeth could only assume Sally had passed him, so she was now a tightly wrapped Annabeth burrito. Annabeth wanted to respond with her own smart-ass remark, but before she could they were mobbed by the rest of the crowd, chanting Percy’s name and lifting him up above them. Percy held on to Annabeth’s hand for as long as he could before he was pulled away from her toward the locker rooms by the mob.

“Wait for me!” he shouted over his shoulder. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

* * *

One minute turned out to be more like twenty. The rest of the crowd trickled out toward the atrium to meet up with members of the team and go out for celebratory ice cream. Paul told Annabeth that Percy was rarely out in twenty minutes at calmer meets before he convinced Sally that they could meet up with Percy at home. As they strolled out of the pool, she could faintly hear Sally muttering about ‘giving the kids some space’. Annabeth had to admit she was grateful for some privacy. She was still a bit frazzled from Percy’s ambush. Her curly hair was poofy and frizzy from practically being doused with water. She clung to the towel around her. She was infinitely grateful she had decided against trying with her wardrobe today because the white blouse she had originally dedicated for the meet would’ve been… _unfortunate_. More than anything, Annabeth was grateful to have the time to come up with a plan to get Percy back for his water hug. Was it cute? Yes. Was his goofiness one of the things she loved most about him? Absolutely. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t have a little fun herself.

Finally, Percy stumbled out of the locker room, laughing and smiling. He looked like he had to forcibly eject himself from the ensuing festivities.

“Sorry.” He said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. He walked over to the edge of the pool where Annabeth had been waiting.

“You’re a superstar tonight. Hero of the hour. What a miraculous victory.”

“Hey, I know, I know. I should’ve chilled out with the speed today.”

Annabeth took his face in her hands and pushed some of his wet mop of hair out of his face. She gave him one of her sweeter smiles, but her grey eyes were serious.

“Percy, you know you can’t draw attention like that to yourself. I thought you wanted to lay low and be normal.”

“I did, I _do_. I just… you’re gonna think I’m lame.”

“I have always thought you were lame and I’m still dating you, Seaweed Brain.”

“Aww, you’re gonna make me blush, Wise Girl.”

“You know you’re never gonna be able to successfully change the subject on me.”

Percy traced the edge of her jawline with the back of his hand, dawdling around her lips.

“Not even if I kiss you until you can’t think straight?”

Annabeth feigned contemplation, “Hmm…nope! I don’t think so! I have a willpower of steel.”

Percy decided to call her bluff and kiss her anyway. His lips tasted salty and sweet at the same time. He ran his hands over her hair (because tangles) and over her back. He really gave it his all, trying to distract her.

When he came up for air, Annabeth shot him with that _nice try_ look and he sighed. His words came out in a hurried jumble, “Look, I…just wanted to win today because…well, you’re here for the first time and I didn’t realize how much I wanted to impress you and all the guys were practically drooling when they saw you…”

That last part he muttered so softly, if Annabeth hadn’t been breathing the same air as him, she wouldn’t have heard a thing.

She looked stunned. _Percy_ was jealous? But she was the one who was supposed to be jealous. She was tempted to tell him how hypocritical it was for him to be jealous because of his friends when he has an entire fan club, but then she saw the look on his face and she just melted. He looked so ashamed and embarrassed. His ears were bright red. Suddenly, she laughed and tilted his head up to meet her eyes.

“I have only ever tolerated your drooling, Percy. Listen to me very carefully: _I love you._ ”

No Seaweed Brain. No hidden joke. She genuinely wanted him to know how much she cared about him. She realized she’d never had to reassure him before and honestly the whole situation struck her as equal parts ironic and incredibly endearing.

She kissed him this time and she tried to convey all the emotions swirling around inside through her lips. She pressed herself flush against Percy and let the fluffy blue towel drop to the floor around them. She wound her hands in Percy’s hair, taking in how soft it was. He responded in kind, caressing her shoulders till his hands settled on her waist and the small of her back…

Out of the corner of Annabeth’s eye, she could see the shocked looks on Percy’s teammates’ faces. She couldn’t tell if they were shocked that Percy had that much game or because she and Percy had the gall to make out in the middle of the pool area. Annabeth thought Percy’s admission was so sweet, she almost didn’t have the heart to carry out her plan to get him back. Almost.

She pulled away from him just long enough to give him the same insufferable wink he’d given her half an hour ago and promptly pushed him back into the pool. His friends who’d been watching and trying not to look like they were watching, lost it. They all filed out of the locker room laughing and cheering. Percy looked like he wasn’t sure whether he should be stunned or burst out laughing as well. In the end, he settled for the laughing fit. He wasn’t good at being defeated. He started doing a lazy backstroke the length of the pool, like an un-victory lap. He made a come-here gesture with his hands like _come on, laugh it up._

Percy stopped when he got back around to where Annabeth was standing, surrounded by his teammates, who were thoroughly impressed and won over by her. He put his elbows on the edge of the pool and watched the scene before him. Annabeth knew he was excited for his two worlds to collide, but he looked happier than she’d seen him in a long time. Annabeth kneeled so that she could look him in the eye and said,

“ _That_ was payback.”

“Truce?” He wagered.

“Don’t think for a second I don’t know-ah!”

Before she could move away from the edge of the pool to avoid his thinly veiled effort to get her in the pool as well, he willed the water to lift him just a little higher, in such a way that his teammates would just think he was putting that six-pack to good use and pulled her down into the water with him anyway.

When they surfaced, Percy pulled her to his side and looked toward his team.

“Jack. Daniel. Everyone, I want you to meet my girlfriend Annabeth, the most amazing smart ass alive.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave me a review! I love any and all feedback!
> 
> Stay tuned for: How Annabeth got possession of the AHS Swim Team sweatshirt


End file.
